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Dysphagia is one of the most common and important complications of stroke. It is an independent marker of poor outcome after acute stroke and may become chronic after the acute period and continues to affect all aspects of the patient's life. Patients with stroke may encounter any of the medical branches in the emergency room or outpatient clinic, and as in our country, there may not be specialists specific for dysphagia, such as speech-language pathologists (SLP), in every hospital. This study aimed to raise awareness and create a common opinion of medical specialists for stroke patients with dysphagia. This recommendation paper has been written by a multidisciplinary team and offers 45 recommendations for stroke patients with dysphagia. It was created using the eight-step Delphi round via e-mail. This study is mostly specific to Turkey. However, since it contains detailed recommendations from the perspective of various disciplines associated with stroke, this consensus-based recommendation paper is not only a useful guide to address clinical questions in practice for the clinical management of dysphagia in terms of management, diagnosis, and follow-up, but also includes detailed comments for these topics.

Dysphagia is one of the most common and important complications of stroke. It is an independent marker of poor outcome following acute stroke and it continues to be effective for many years. This consensus-based guideline is not only a good address to clinical questions in practice for the clinical management of dysphagia including management, diagnosis, follow-up, and rehabilitation methods, but also includes detailed algorithms for these topics. The recommendation paper has been written by a multidisciplinary team and offers 117 recommendations for stroke patients with dysphagia. While focusing on management principles, diagnosis, and follow-up in the 1st part (45 items), rehabilitation details were evaluated in the 2nd part (72 items).

Introduction In patients with neurological disorders Whole Body Vibration (WBV) has been reported to improve motor function. Our aim was to assess the effects of WBV on both balance and walking performance in adult stroke patients. Methods Forty three post-stroke patients were randomly divided into two groups. One would receive WBV therapy (WBV group) while the control group would not. All patients participated in a conventional rehabilitation program for three weeks while the vibration group also received WBV over the same period. Patients balance and walking performance were evaluated using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG) and computerized gait analysis. All evaluations were performed before and after therapy. Results The median (range) age of all patients was 51.00 (18-66) years. The groups numbered 26 and 17 patients for the WBV and control groups respectively. After intervention, significant improvements were found in the WBV group for BBS score (p=0.004), TUG score (p=0.035), step length (p=0.004) and walking speed (p=0.031) when compared to the controls. Conclusion WBV is effective for the improvement of balance and gait performance in stroke patients.

Aims and background The aim of this study is to determine the effects of two different types of nerve-sparing neck dissection on shoulder function. Even if the spinal accessory nerve is spared in functional neck dissection, some degree of shoulder syndrome may occur. The role of the cervical plexus in shoulder function and the effects of dissection of level 5 are emphasized. Methods Twenty-six patients with laryngeal carcinoma were studied prospectively. Seventeen anterolateral and 15 functional neck dissections were performed. Electromyographic evaluation was carried out in all patients to assess spinal accessory nerve function preoperatively and at the sixth week and sixth month postoperatively. Shoulder disability was evaluated by a questionnaire (shoulder pain disability index) and goniometric measurements were done preoperatively and at the sixth postoperative month. Results In patients who underwent anterolateral neck dissection, the goniometric results were better than in the functional neck dissection group. The questionnaire results also showed better quality of life of patients who underwent anterolateral neck dissection. Electrophysiological evaluation of the trapezius muscles of both groups at the sixth week showed significant differences. The distal motor latency values of the anterolateral neck dissection group were shorter than those of the other group. Electrophysiological evaluation at the sixth postoperative month showed shorter distal latency values in the anterolateral dissection group, without statistical significance. Conclusions Preservation of the cervical plexus and less disturbance of the spinal accessory nerve are important to diminish postoperative shoulder disability. The type of neck dissection has an important influence on shoulder function.